A woman from the US whose father’s ashes were sent to her following his death has criticised Royal Mail after the package was lost in the post.
Lisa Barrett, 63, moved to Doncaster, South Yorkshire, from Missouri in 2001, and said her father Kenneth Wilson had died in the US of natural causes aged 85 in 2021.
Her sister had sent her the ashes as she was unable to attend the funeral and Ms Barrett said it was not just an “everyday package” which had been lost.
Royal Mail said it arrived at Doncaster delivery office on 3 January, but exceeded its retention period because the customs fee was not paid and was returned to the sender on 25 January.
However, Ms Barrett claimed she was not notified that she needed to pay the duty or told where to collect the package from.
The United States Postal Service said it never received the ashes back.
The missing urn is around 3 inches (7.6 cm) tall and within the Royal Mail’s limits of 50g or less for human remains.
Ms Barrett said she had been unable to find closure after her father’s death and had not been able to return to the US for his funeral due to financial reasons and her own health complications.
“A part of me still wants to pick up the phone and call him – it hasn’t hit me even yet,” she said.
Her sister, Laura Greeno, 56, had decided to send her the ashes because she knew Ms Barrett was struggling.
Ms Barrett said: “When I found out Laura was sending me a piece of Dad, I didn’t know how to say thank you, it was just such a precious thing.”
Her sister had cared for their father in his final years and said she wanted Ms Barrett to have “a part of him” as well.
They said they were both frustrated at being unable to recover the ashes.
Ms Barrett added: “Royal Mail needs to realise these things affect people’s lives.
“This has got my family torn up on two continents.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are actively working to discover the whereabouts of this important item.
“We will engage with the customer to advise on the measures we’re taking.”
